George Sumo Kpingbah, of Brooklyn Center, was a nursing assistant at Walker Methodist Health Center in Minneapolis. Kpingbah pleaded guilty today to raping an 83-year-old woman suffering from severe dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as the Star Tribune reports, “the latest in a recent surge of abuse cases involving elderly residents at nursing homes across the state.”

The Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm represents the nursing home resident.

The Star Tribune reports, “Although substantiated cases of rapes in Minnesota homes are rare, the state has seen a sharp increase in allegations of abuse and neglect at nursing homes. The number of maltreatment complaints received by the state nearly doubled from 283 in 2010 to 553 in 2013, according to the Minnesota Department of Health, which regulates nursing homes. Over that period, the state has investigated and substantiated at least 9 incidents of sexual abuse involving residents at nursing homes, state records show.”

On a December 2014 morning, Kpingbah was seen by a nurse at the nursing home, moving in a “back and forth, thrusting motion” while standing at the edge of the patient’s bed. The nurse contacted the night supervisor, who removed Kpingbah from the floor and called the police. Kpingbah was arrested and charged with felony third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

As the Star Tribune reports, “At a Hennepin County District Court hearing early Monday, Kpingbah stood motionless, hands folded in front of his waist, as his court-appointed attorney informed him that he could face up to four years in prison for pleading guilty…. [Kpingbah] said, “Yes,” when asked to confirm that he inserted his penis in the woman’s vaginal area.”

“If convicted of rape again, Kpingbah could face millions of dollars in damages. In a settlement to a lawsuit reached moments before he pleaded guilty Monday, Kpingbah agreed to pay $15 million if he is ever convicted again of criminal sexual conduct in any other case, or is ever found liable again for the abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult. Under the terms of the civil settlement agreement, Kpingbah will donate $2,000 to the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA).”

“The threat of a giant payment is meant to deter Kpingbah from raping again once he completes his prison sentence, attorneys said. A similar settlement was reached early last year in the case of a male caregiver who drugged and raped an 89-year-old woman at a senior home in Hermantown, in northern Minnesota.”

“What we had here was a woman suffering from extreme dementia — a disease that is taking away her mind — and her last shred of dignity was stripped away by this guy,” said Mark Kosieradzki, a Plymouth lawyer representing the rape survivor through her daughter, who is also her guardian. “We can’t turn the clock on what happened here, but we can make a loud enough statement so that other people will think twice about doing this.”

Star Tribune: “The rape survivor … was sent to Hennepin County Medical Center on the morning of the rape. While at HCMC, medications for sexually transmitted diseases had to be administered to the woman intravenously, because her dementia prevented her from swallowing safely. A day after the incident, the elderly woman repeatedly pointed at her pelvic area and mumbled; and then cried after she was told that she was safe and her assailant was in jail, according to court documents.”

The state Department of Health investigated the rape in December and substantiated the occurrence of the rape. [MDH Report no. H5055173]

The Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm represents clients who have been sexually assaulted in nursing homes and other care facilities. The Minnesota Supreme Court has recognized that punishing wrongdoers who deliberately disregard the rights and safety of others is necessary “to deter repeat behavior and to deter others from engaging in similar behavior.” At the Kosieradzki Smith Law Firm, we are committed to holding these wrongdoers accountable with punitive damages to punish them and to deter others from engaging in this reprehensible conduct in our community.

To learn more about our commitment to hold these wrongdoers accountable for sexual abuse, click on the following stories:

If you believe your loved one has been sexually assaulted in a nursing home or other care facility, take action and contact the Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.